Search “sell my house fast” and you will find dozens of large cash buying companies promising an offer within hours. We do not work with them. We introduce sellers to private cash buyers and cash traders instead, and this page explains why.
The problem with headline offers
A common complaint about some large cash buying companies is that the first offer is where negotiation starts, not where it ends. The pattern sellers describe is familiar:
- An attractive offer online, often made before anyone has seen the property.
- A “survey” or “valuation” a few weeks in, followed by a lower figure, often close to exchange, when you have already planned around the sale.
- Fees and conditions in the small print, such as a solicitor you must use, or a lock-out agreement that stops you selling elsewhere.
- A middleman, not a buyer. Some companies do not buy at all; they pass your property on to an investor and take a cut.
Not every company works this way, but when you need certainty, a moving goalpost is the last thing you want.
Who we work with instead
Our cash buyers are private cash buyers and cash traders: individuals and small, established buyers with their own funds, who buy for themselves and have shown they can complete quickly. We have checked them and dealt with them before.
- They can complete in as little as 7 days, once the solicitors have what they need.
- There is no middleman. The buyer we introduce is the buyer who completes.
- Their offer is their offer. The only exception is a survey that finds something genuinely affecting the price or a mortgage, and if that happens, we show you the evidence before anything changes.
Questions to ask any cash buyer
Whoever you deal with, these questions protect you:
- Who is actually buying, and can they prove the funds? Ask for proof of funds or confirmation from their solicitor.
- Will the offer change after a survey? Ask how often it has happened, and by how much.
- Who pays the legal fees, and are there strings attached? “We pay your fees” can mean you must use their solicitor.
- Am I signing an exclusivity or lock-out agreement? Check whether you would owe anything if you pulled out.
- When will we exchange contracts? Until exchange, either side can walk away.
- What do independent reviews say? Read recent reviews on independent sites, not just testimonials on their own website.
How a private cash sale works with Heritage
We look at your property, introduce it privately to the cash buyers best suited to it, and bring their offers back to you with any conditions explained. We negotiate on your behalf and stay involved until completion. If a cash sale is not the best option for your property, we will tell you, and arrange an investor sale, auction or estate agent instead.
Read how a quick, private sale works, or what selling to a cash buyer involves.